Cable-railway construction



(No Model.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

T. L. JOHNSON.

CABLE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. No. 317.649.

Patented- May 12, 1885.

N. PETERS, Fhowumn npher, Washington. D c.

(No Model.)

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CABLE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. T. L. JOHNSON.

CABLE RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION. No. 317,649. V Patented May 12,1885.

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NITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

TOM L. JOHNSON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

CABLE-RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,649, dated May 12,1885.

Application filed January 19, 1885. (N0 model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TOM L. JoHNsoN, of Cleveland, in the county of Guyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Gable-Railway Construc tion, which invention is fully set forth and illustrated in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

The object of this invention is to provide curve-pulleys for the railway which shall (in the case of double cables) prevent the twisting of the cables, and which shall be both easily adjustable and removable where worn or injured, and likewise serve several other purposes, in conjunction with other devices, all of which is hereinafter fully described.

The invention consists of the parts and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described, and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows in plan two curve-pulleys situated below the street-level, the covers which close over the same being removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through Fig. 1, showing said pulleys in elevation and said covers and the pulleybhambers in section. Fig. 3 shows in plan said covers and two crossties partly in dotted lines beneath. Fig. 4 shows in transverse section certain details of the cable-guide mechanism, hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the slot-rails between two sets of wheels or pulleys,taken at the line f Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of Fig. 5, viewed from the right-hand side.

In said figures the respective parts are indicatedbyletters,asfollows: A, a grooved wheel or pulley of large diameter, centered on the in side of the curve, between the car-rails of the track, on'a removable pin, a. Said pin is clamped to the frame a 0. within a slotted circular lug, 0 cast on said frame, the lug being provided with a bolt and tightening-nut, c, therefor. Said lug depends through a slot in the bed-plate D, between the crossties L L, the frame 0 0 being adj ustably secured to the bed-plate D by bolts passed vertically through slotted holes 0 c in said frame. The pulley A is thus provided with lateral adjustment to compensate for wear at its periphery..

The letter 13 indicates a grooved wheel or pulley of smaller diameter than the pulley A, but centered on the outside of the curve between the rails of the track, on a removable pin similar to the pin a,just described, and

likeit clamped to a frame, E, within a slotted lug, E by clamping-bolt E. The frame E is adjustably secured to the bed-plate D by bolts passed through slotted holes e e" in said frame. Provision is thus made for lateral adjustment of the pulley B to compensate for wear of its periphery. The bed-plate Dserves as a foundation for the pulleys A and B and ties them together. It thus keeps them in accurate alignment and to gage. The bed-plate D is spiked or bolted to the cross-ties L L. The heads of the bolts, which are passed through the slotted holes a and 6 may be countersunk in the under surface of the bed D to prevent said bolts from turning. The pulleys A and B and their beds are placed in series as closely together as may be necessary along or around the curve. The slot-rail K on the outside of the curve at and around the pulley B is formed into a casing therefor, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the foot or bottom of said casing being formed into a flange for spiking or bolting to the cross-ties. The top ofsaid rail, where formed into said casing, is provided with a flange, K", whereon rests the cover H. The edge of said cover forms one side of the curve-slot in continuation of the slotted rail between the points where said rail diverges to form the casing K around the pulley B. The lugs K Fig. 1, prevent said cover from working into the slot between the rails K and M.

In Fig. 2, d d are fixed lugs cast on the bedplate D. The lug d extends upward a considerable distance. The lug d is of comparatively short height.

The letter m shows in section a part of the slot-rail clamped to and against the permanent lug d by the movable brace (i which is offset to come over the lower shoulder of the slot-rail, and is held in place by the bolt (1*. By this means not only is the slotrail prevented from working up, but it is held in place laterally, as the lug d and brace d come up high enough to dispense with a splicebar usually used for the latter purpose.

In Fig. 4 is shown in cross-section the slotrails K and M, taken at a point, X, Fig. 1,

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between two sets of pulleys, A B, the rail M being on the inside of the curve-slot and the rail K on the outside of said slot. The faces y 3/ form the sides of the slot proper, while the grooves m m in said faces form a guide in which the double cable runs. On the inner side of the rail M the lug or flange on takes one edge of the plate or cover G; or, if desired,

the plate Gmay overlie the slot-rail flush wit-h its face y, thus forming in part one side of the slot with and over the guide m. The inner rail, M,terminates in the pointsP P, Fig. 1,where the grooves m m are formed, so that the plate G may either abut at m, Fig. 4, or overlie the rail M, and form the side of the slot, as shown at 9, Fig. 2. The plate G thus covers part of the wheel A, and the plate H the wheel B. The wheel or pulley A is bridged by one of the curve-rails of the track, as shown atf Figs. 2 and 3, and this rail is itself combined or merged in a covering-plate, F, which covers the remainder of the pulley A. Said plate F is provided with curved sides f, which terminate in feet or flangcsff, Figs. 2 and 3, which may be bolted or spiked to the crossties L L. These track-rails and coveringchambers are bolted together as they may abut, either at f, directly through anglefianges, or by means of splice-bars in the manner of fish-plates, as shown at K Fig. 2; or the ends may overlap; or, if desired, the rail f and cover F may be made separate from the sides f", as seen in Fig. 2, and held in place either by hinged joints or by lugs alternately placed inside and outside of the upper edge of f, so as to be laterally immovable, but free to be lifted either off or to one side, and thus to afford ample room to remove the wheel A. The rail f and cover F may be made in one or separate pieces, as desired. The outer rail, J, is of ordinary girder shape, and forms no part of the structure of the curvechambers. The space between the chambers containing the pulleys A and B and the outer rail, J, may be paved. The rest of the space to the inner rail and inside wall of the chambers is covered with iron-work and plates. The plates G and Hare removable at pleasure.

In Fig. 6 it will be noted that. the slot-rail M is cut away from the bottom to a point, a", in a curved path, the object of this being to get at that part of the cable way which would be otherwise obstructed by the slot-railsuch as the part under the slot-rail K, Fig. 5. Directly over the pulleys access to the chambers is obtained by removing the covers G and H, the whole interior being there accessible. By the means just described, therefore, not only is that part of the chamber immediately beneath the covers accessible, but also that part of the curve extending to the outer slot-rail, K, leaving no part of pulley-chan1ber proper or of the curve inaccessible. By working the cleansing apparatus sidewise the corners and whole curved space up to the chambers under the pulleys Bean be reached. It is advisable to extend the depth of the chambers to a point at or near the bottom of the 'crossties support-ing the bottom of the structure and to provide a drain under the cross-ties directly under the cable way.

The pulleys and curves herein described are intended for use with a double cable such as is shown in application No. 140,697, filed by me on the 16th day of August, 1884.

The operation and advantages of this invention will now be described. It is known that single cables made of strands composed of small wires, being flexible, form a series of tangents with the peripheries of their supporting and guiding pulleys in rounding curves. Such tangents, not coinciding with the true curved path of the slot in the slotted way through which the grip travels, throw a distortion or strain upon both the grip and cable. In most cable railways it has been the custom to meet this contingency by some special devices or arrangement either some speciallyconstrncted curve or some special form of cable different from that used on the main line. In the curve herein described the cable, being flat, is on edge to the periphery ofthe wheels, the lateral stiffness of the cable being availed of as an aid in preventing the cable from making a series of tangents instead of following a true curve around the pulley-path in which it is directed. Its tendency, even under the tension of travel, is approximately true to the curve-line of the slot-rails as would be that of any cable sufficiently rigid. This tendency, therefore, saves the necessity of placing the pulleys as close together as is necessitated when a series of tangents are formed. The nearer the pulleys are together the smaller must be their diameters, and in'consequence the more rapid the wear and destruction of the cables. The use of the double cable with the pulleys A and B permits pulleys of a maximum diameter to be used, and hence saves wear and prolongs the life of the cable. It is evident that all the strain in passing around a curve is thrown upon the inner line of pulleys, as A, and away from the outer line of pulleys, B; hence, although the pulley B prevents the Hat cable from turning up or down on its inner edge, as upon a pivot within the groove of the pulley A, yet the comparatively small diameter of the pulley B exerts no injurious wear upon the cable in consequence of its office as a guide. Each pulley, however, is made as large as possiblethe pulley A, say, from twenty-six to forty inches in diameter, and the pulley B, say, from ten to fifteen inches in diameterthus securing as much economy in space and construction as may be available. The pulleys A and B are kept apart the width of the slot 9, in order to let the traction-disk which engages the cable clear said pulleys in its travel. -VVhen the grooves of the pulleys become worn to a certain degree, the pulleys may be taken outand their edges or faces turned off, so that when replaced and their centers readjusted in their respective supporting-frames the faces of the pulleys will not project beyond the lines of the sides of the slot 9, as they otherwise would do when the centers of the pulleys were adjusted closer together. If the pulleys should become broken or displaced, it will be necessary to be able to quickly remove them and replace them, the cable in the meantime continuing in motion. Provision in part is made for the uninterrupted motion of the cable under such circumstances by means of the grooves or guidechannels at m in the slot-rails K and M. When a pulley is removed, these guides will retain the cable in its path until the pulley is renewed. The cable does not touch said guides as long as the pulleys are in place and the mechanism in normal condition, and when supported in said guides no wear is brought upon the strands of the cable, but upon the edges of the stops which connect and hold the two parts of the cable together. The guideehannels m m also serve to prevent the cable from twisting should any derangement, breakage, or removal of the pulleys occur. If necessary to remove the wheel A, the cover being removed an eyebolt may be screwed into the top of the pin a, and the nut of the tightening or clamping bolt 0 being loosed the pin a may be withdrawn by lifting it with a jackscrew or by means of any suitably applied power. The pulley may then be tilted and removed. The pulley B, being lighter, may be lifted with greater ease by similarly disengaging. it from its bed. The pin a may be surrounded by a countersunk or recessed 0il-. chamber, with oil-channelsleading downward. Said chamber, being filled with cotton waste or similar material saturated with oil, will efliciently lubricate the axis of the pulley and effectually prevent the entrance of dirt or gritty matter.

Having thus fully described my said improvements in cable-railway construction as of my invention, I claim 1. In a cable railway, a slot-rail provided with a guide-channel, as W, for a tractioncable, and an offset to forma pulley-chamber, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a cable railway, a railway curved track consisting of an ordinary rail for the exterior rail of the curve, and of an interior rail, cover, and sides, forming one set of pulley-chambers, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a cable railway, the combination of two pulleys for a curved cable, set upon centers secured in horizontally-adj ustable frames, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4.. In a cable railway, a cable pulley having its axis clamped within a slotted sleeve or lug by a tightening-screw and secured to a bed-plate, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a cable railway, abed-plate, as 1D, supported on the cross-ties of the track and slotted to permit of the adjustment of the centers of a set of curve-pulleys, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a cable railway, a bed-plate, as D, for supporting the curve-pulleys of the track, provided with lugs 01 d, a brace, (1 and bolts (1, for clamping or jointing the inner slotrails securely in the curved track, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a cable railway, the combination of a pair of curved slot-rails, the inner of said rails having its web cut or curved out at intervals, as at a, whereby access may be obtained through suitable chambers under said inner rail to the space between said rails, for the purposes of cleaning out said space, substantially as set forth.

TOM L. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

XVM. S. RICE, F. H. DAVIES. 

